Easter and everything about it is such a delight for our little ones! The Easter bunny, the pretty baskets, the Easter egg hunt and the yummy Easter lunch are enjoyed by one and all. I love trying out new ways of preparing deviled eggs and this time around decided to spice it up a little and make it even more delicious and creamy with the use of avocado. Turned out really delicious and I am definitely serving this recipe at our family lunch on Sunday. -Mona

I have forever been in search of the perfect Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. When I say "perfect" I mean just like the ones they serve at the great Indian restaurants. The sauce is creamy, a little sour, a little sweet, and the chicken pieces are so perfectly tender and succulent.

While there are all kinds of theories on where this great dish originated, one of the claims is that it originated in an Indian restaurant in the United Kingdom. In fact, it is also considered a British national dish.

After trying out at least 10 versions and variations, I think I may have a very good recipe here. But of course, my search will not stop here. -Shalini

I have been meaning to share this really tasty recipe for a long time now. I am a big fan of Chef Vikas Khanna having watched him on cooking shows and after trying out several recipes from his recipe books.This one is my favorite as it is easy to prepare and extremely delicious and the perfect dish for a cold winters day. I usually serve it by itself like a soup but it can be served with hot rotis or rice.- MonaServings: 6Ingredients:

Bring the lentils to a boil in a large saucepan with water, salt and turmeric. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered until the lentils are cooked for 15-20 minutes. Transfer the boiled lentils along with the cooking liquid to a serving bowl.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add garlic cooking until golden brown. Add the cumin seeds. Add onions, zucchini, coriander and cumin powders and cook over medium heat until the zucchini becomes tender (not mushy) for about 10 minutes.Remove the pan from heat, add paprika and basil and pour this mixture over the cooked lentils stirring lightly. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Poha is a flattened rice that you won't generally see served in restaurants, but it is such a delicious, healthy and popular breakfast item in Indian households. I remember eating this at least once a week as a child, and now I try and make it as often as I can. I do play around with the vegetables that I add into the dish, just to mix things up. In this recipe I have used potatoes and peas, but sometimes I use carrots and green beans. Really, just go crazy with whatever you want to add.

And, when I served it is important to add some acidity to the dish. Sometimes I squeeze some lemon or lime juice, and other times I mix in a little tamarind chutney or eat it with some Indian mango or lime pickle. Enjoy! - Shalini

Place the Poha in a colander and soak it under running water for 2 to 3 minutes. Then leave aside (still in the colander so that the water has drained).

Heat oil in a pan or wok and add the black mustard seeds. Once the seeds start crackling, add the onion, jalapeño and curry leaves and cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown. Add in the finely diced potatoes, peas, nuts, and turmeric and sauté until the potatoes are done, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Now mix in the poha and salt.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Season with cilantro and lime/lemon juice and serve warm.

The festival of lights and sweets is here again and this time I am planning on serving baked yogurt as a part of my Diwali dinner. This is one of the easiest and quickest desserts I have made. There is plenty of room to make changes and innovations to make it even more delicious and different each time. I am sure you will enjoy it just as much as my family and friends do every time I make it. -Mona

Kulcha is a delicious type of Indian leavened flatbread, very popular in North India, and typically serve with Chana (chickpeas). The recipe is super easy and can be made on the stove top or baked in the oven. Try it with the chana masala recipe. -Shalini

Mix well and knead into a smooth dough. The dough should sort of be the consistency of playdough. If it is too sticky add a little more flour, or if it is too flaky and dry and a little more milk or yogurt.

Once the dough is prepared, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Now divide the dough into small balls about the size of a lemon.

Dip the ball in some flour and then roll it out into a round or oval shape about 6 to 7 inches in diameter or length. You can sprinkle some nigella seeds and roll them into the flattened dough.

If you plan on making these on the stove top, eat a flat pan or skillet until is hot (about 2 minutes). Then add the rolled out kulcha and cook for about 1 minute on each side or until there are brown spots and the bread puffs up.

Alternatively, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the rolled out kulchas on a lined and greased pan and bake about 6 to 7 minutes or until kulchas have brown spots and rise.

Diwali is fast approaching - Sunday, November 3 this year. Chana Masala and Kulcha is a very popular snack/dish in North India. I remember eating this frequently during our lunch hour at school. I also love serving this as a meal for guests at Diwali parties at my place. It is super easy to prepare and everyone loves it. The great thing about the kulchas is that you can just bake them which makes it very quick and simple to prepare and serve. The last thing you want to do is prepare the kulchas individually to serve them to your guest. My Chana Masala recipe is also super quick and easy. You can use canned chickpeas or get fresh chickpeas (this would have to be soaked in water overnight). For my dish shown in the picture above, I actually used fresh chickpeas. The recipe is below and this is a great Diwali meal option. -Shalini

I have been trying to eat healthy for a while now and the biggest obstacle to reaching this goal for me is my sweet tooth. As such I am always looking for healthy desserts and remember reading about this interesting and quick recipe while back when I was looking for low calorie, raw dessert recipes. Last week I picked up a big box of dates from Costco and whipped up these sweet and tasty treats. These are healthy and rich so just one little piece is very satisfying. - Mona

Core Ingredients & Flavoring-3-4 ground cardamomsOther Ingredients-1 cup dates1 cup walnuts1/2 cup almonds1/2 cup cacao powderDirections:Put all the ingredients in a blender/food processor and mix to a smooth consistency.Press onto a lined baking dish or tray and put in the refrigerator for atleast 30 minutes to set.Cut into small square inches and enjoy a healthy dessert/ snack

Brownies are enjoyed immensely in our family, so much so that my 2 and half years old daughter Nina who helps me bake these knows all the ingredients and when asked can rattle them off at the top of her head. This time I decided to experiment with my usual recipe to give it a slight but interesting twist. I added cardamom powder and ground fennel seed which made these even more delicious especially when I served them warm with a scoop ice cream - Mona

My dear brother and sister-in-law, Shekhar and Aparna, got me the Top Chef cookbook as a gift for my anniversary and I just tried out this super delicious dish with Middle Eastern spiced pulled pork and pickled vegetables. I really can't wait to try the other recipes. But this was a great first one to try. This was from Season 1, episode 5 - the challenge was to fuse two of San Francisco's culinary cultures in a new kind of street food. The Ras Al-Hanout (Middle Eastern spice blend) renders such a wonderful flavor to the slow cooked pork, and the tangy and spicy pickled carrots, onions and jalapenos balance out the dish so well. Worth it! Totally worth it!! - Shalini

To serve:4 fresh pocketless pitas or other flatbread or fresh corn tortillas(I used Middle Eastern flatbread)

Directions:

For the Pork:

Pre heat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Season the pork generously with salt and ras al-hanout.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes total.

Put the pork in a large roasting pan and pour in the stocks and 1/2 cup water. Roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

Remove the pork to a cutting board and pour the cooking juices into a small sauce pan. Cook the juices over high heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup: shred the pork into bite size pieces, discarding the bones. In a large bowl, toss the pork with the reduced juices.

For the Pickled Vegetables:

In a large nonreactive pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, fennel and 3 cups water and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Put the carrots, onion and chilis in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the vegetables steam for 20 minutes. Pour out all but about 1 cup of the liquid. Keep the vegetables covered in a refrigerator. Bring to room temperature when ready to serve.

To Serve:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm the pitas one at a time.

Pile the pork onto the pitas, top with pickled vegetables and serve immediately.

**RAS AL-HANOUT - is a Moroccan spice blend that is readily available in specialty stores and Middle Eastern markets. You can also make it at home pretty easily.

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We love Indian spices, and want you to love them too. Our recipes hopefully provide some direction on how Indian spices can be used in any type of cuisine to create great flavors and healthy foods. Read more About Us here.